All Opinion articles – Page 371
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OpinionRichard Hutchinson
Running 26 miles in the London Marathon wasn't enough for the Livesey O'Malley partner. He also agreed to critique a building for each mile for BD.
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Opinion
Growing pains
Ken Shuttleworth knows a thing or two about office space, having designed half of the landmark schemes in London lately. But even in the name of research, isn’t moving his own office four times in just three-and-a-half months pushing it a bit? His new office, Make, will shortly be ...
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Opinion
Hey good looking
Congratulations on dragging BD’s layout into the 21st century. It hadn’t changed much in the 30 years since it first appeared as a tabloid (which I guess says quite a lot for the original concept) – but you have made the most of the use of colour, big pictures ...
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Opinion
Woolly jargon will not plug skills gap
Learning from John Egan is rarely fun. His grandiose visions of a unified construction industry are more about committee work, strangely-titled industry bodies and woolly concepts than actually making great architecture. His latest contribution: a plan to solve the skills crisis so the government's Sustainable Communities Plan investment isn't wasted ...
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Opinion
Essex lies
I was horrified to learn from Concrete Boots (April 2) that I was quoted as using the term “Basildonisation”. I have never used this word, nor have I compared Basildon unfavourably in any way; I do not know Basildon well enough to comment on its merits or demerits. Clearly, the ...
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Opinion
Wembley detour
Remember walking down Wembley Way to a big match? The palpable sense of procession towards a national icon. Let's hope things don't change. Boots hears whispers that Quintain, the developer of the new "pedway" from Wembley Park tube station to the stadium, is keen for its competing architects to lead ...
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Opinion
On deaf ears
An extraordinary state of affairs has recently arisen in respect of Arb. Last July, the professional organisations were consulted on possible amendments to the composition of Arb's professional conduct committee. The Association of Consultant Architects suggested a Parliamentary Committee should investigate Arb and the Architects Act 1997.However, on March 11, ...
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Opinion
Dairy delight
In response to Richard Weston’s piece, “The divine bovine (Backspace April 8), we thought that, a copy of the “Three Cows” short-listed entry for the Burrell Gallery competition might help to illustrate the point of his article. The illustration depicts one seated cow, containing the main entrance and ancillary accommodation, ...
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Opinion
Golden community opportunity
John Prescott has a golden opportunity to create a national centre dedicated to building sustainable communities that includes not only planners, engineers, developers and councillors, but also housing and social administrators as well as social scientists. Much is commonly assumed about the mistakes of the past 50 years, but ...
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Opinion
The art of Zen
How architecture happens: Malcolm Fraser was enjoying a contented afternoon in his Edinburgh office, listening to four second-hand Rod Stewart albums he had just bought for £2.50 when the phone started ringing and ringing… a local paper had unveiled Fraser's scheme for 150 Tibetan-style flagpoles on Edinburgh's Carlton Hill, with ...
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Opinion
Arb propaganda
Susan Ware invites your readers to take a look at a fuller version of her letter (April 2) on Arb's website. There, in an attempt to defend the indefensible from the well-directed criticism of Jack Pringle, she claims that a less secretive organisation is difficult to imagine.It speaks loudly of ...
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Opinion
Adult-only Egan
Architects are shuddering again at the thought of John Egan returning to the fray with his skills report this week. Memories of wrestling with his obsession with supply chain management came flooding back to designers at the Building Awards on Tuesday. Egan, it seems, is for adults only. “I wouldn’t ...
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OpinionUnlucky winner
I refer to the front-page story, "Client shows 'contempt' for RIBA contest" (News April 8).First, the Middlesbrough town hall competition was not an RIBA contest. Second, the RIBA did not run a design competition for the Corn Exchange in Bury St Edmunds. The basis of selection was competitive interview with ...
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Opinion
Wright stuff
Americans love Frank Lloyd Wright almost as much as they love anything even vaguely historical. So when the two come together the dollars flow, as demonstrated by the $400,000 preservation of a small prefabricated house designed by the master architect in Illinois. The 1957 home is being taken apart and ...
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Opinion
Quality in quantity
Further to the article "RIBA plots credentials crackdown" (News April 2), I would like to clarify the issues discussed.My quotes relate to outline proposals for a higher standard of chartered practice. Out of this may come some changes to the RIBA registered practice system, but there are no firm plans ...
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OpinionLessons in prefab
What is wrong with prefabricated schools? Clearly, it is justifiable to condemn the development of a building’s detail design proceeding without the full involvement of its architect. However, “Schools face ‘dumbing down’” (News April 2) did not primarily address this. It appeared to focus more on the suggestion that prefabrication ...
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Opinion
Regional fairness
I was at first shocked when I read that the RIBA was to get strict on those that do not comply in terms of membership, professional indemnity insurance and CPD, but then I realised it would rid me of the unfair competition and I thought it an excellent move. However, ...
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Opinion
The wrath of EH
The Audit Commission has run the rule over Runnymede District Council, which gave Beadle consent to demolish the Wentworth house by Connell Ward & Lucas. The council, whose planning committee sanctioned the demolition subject to John Prescott’s approval, has been designated an “excellent” local authority with particular reference to making ...
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Opinion
Design falls into the wrong hands
One can’t fault the intention behind the amendment of planning law to improve building design standards, but providing local planning authorities with the power to determine the design merits of an application will not necessarily end happily.Having recently won two planning appeals; the grounds in part being based on PPG1 ...
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Opinion
Dictating demands
Romanian architect Anca Petrescu is looking for work having just completed her first job. The 54-year-old is available after completing the world’s second largest building, the 3,700-room Parliament Palace in Bucharest. She can call on experience of a demanding client (the late dictator Nicolae Ceausescu), the interruption of a palace ...